════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Considerations ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ● This is a spoiler-free review. ● 80+ in my rating means very good media. ● I've got to read this work as a recommendation and after looking at what it was about, I went on reading.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ After recently moving to Onomichi, Hiroshima, high school student Tasuku Kaname is thrown into despair at the possibility that he may have been outed for being gay. In his moment of uncertainty and fear, he finds a mysterious woman who invites him to a lounge where he can relax without judgment.
I was afraid of something cliche without much depth in terms of story, but I was really surprised. The story of Shimanami Tasogare is really well done. You go through the confusion and self-discovery journey of Tasuku. Nothing is set in stone. Characters try to understand themselves through their work, making it very interesting to read.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Art Style ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art style of this work is absurd. There are panels on which I just stood and contemplated as a piece of art. There's a lot of symbolism, a lot of plays on light and shadows. Everything looks really good. I felt that character designs were somewhat common, with Tsubaki and Utsumi being very similar.
Overall, there's not much to complain about. The background, clothes, and expressions are really well done. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The characters are really well made. Each has a different personality and different struggles. It did not take much for me to connect with a few characters and really get involved, looking forward to their development.
The main character, Tasuku, is great, and his development through the series is noticeable. As someone trying to understand (himself and others), he's able to raise several questions through the work. ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point:
Read it. This work gave me an Iyashikei feeling. It was very pleasant to read it just for the story. If you combine this amazing art with the LGBT themes, you get amazing work that can show you different perspectives. I also expected a boy-love manga but was surprised with a manga that talks more about social prejudice and characters looking to understand themselves rather than just being in love.
